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October 8, 2016

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown celebrates its 50th anniversary

A little earlier this year, I was doing some Halloween related math in my head (as one does) and it hit me that 2016 would mark the 50th anniversary of that most beloved of classic All Hallows' Eve related TV cartoon specials: It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.

{A true delight for youngsters and the young at heart alike, It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown - which celebrates its fiftieth birthday this year - may be the most iconic Halloween television cartoon special of all time. Vintage image source.}

I would venture to guess that most of us in North America, and many in other parts of the world (especially where Halloween is observed to at least some degree), too, have seen this immensely beloved mid-sixties animated cartoon at least once in our lives - if not many, many times.

I fall into the latter camp and would estimate that I've probably seen It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown upwards of a hundred times (possibly more) at this point. I pretty much know it verbatim, but if anything, that just makes me adore it all the more.

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, is a Halloween TV special that first aired on October 27, 1966, on the American station, CBC. It has seen been shown an untold number of times on many different TV channels, particularly in Canada and the US, ever since and has become a truly integral part of the autumn holiday landscape for millions upon millions of people for decades now.

As the name of this program implies, it stars the Charles M. Schulz’s characters, Charlie Brown and the Peanuts Gang, and centers around Halloween night.

In an endearingly charming twist on the age old practise of penning notes to Santa Claus, early on we see Linus van Pelt writing his annual letter to a (fictional) character called The Great Pumpkin - in spite of the fact that he is razzed by his peers, including Snoopy, for doing so.

{Linus, welcome sign in hand, waiting in earnest at a local pumpkin patch for the The Great Pumpkin to appear on Halloween night. Vintage image source.}

Linus later goes out, accompanied by Charlie Brown's little sister, Lucy (who has a major crush on her brother's BFF), to spend Halloween night in a local pumpkin patch waiting for the Great Pumpkin to appear, as he believes that "on Halloween night, the Great Pumpkin rises out of the pumpkin patch and flies through the air to bring toys to all the good little children" (again, in a serious nod to Old St. Nick).

Accompanying this plot line, we see Charlie Brown and his friends don costumes for, then go out, trick-or-treating, before heading over to Violet's house for the "big Halloween party". As well, there is a gorgeously animated (the colouring on the skies always knock my socks off) scene of Snoopy imagining he's WWI flying ace and that his doghouse is his fighter plane.

Despite his faith and "sincerity", the Great Pumpkin does not appear as the night wears on and at one point Sally chides Linus over the fact that she wasted her Halloween evening and didn't get to go out for "tricks or treats" with the other kids.

Ultimately, Linus falls asleep in the pumpkin patch on a chilly autumn night until, at 4:00 AM the next morning, his sister Lucy wakes up, sees that he's not in his bed as he should be, and goes out to bring a very sleepy and chilly Linus into the house.

The show wraps up with Charlie and Linus discussing the previous evening and Charlie saying that he's done some "stupid things in his life", too, which only gets Linus' goat up all the more, strengthening his faith that The Great Pumpkin will indeed appear the following year after all.

There is something deeply relatable in Linus' steadfast belief in The Great Pumpkin. Aside from the fact that I think many of wish there was a Santa Claus or Easter Bunny type figure for Halloween, we can relate to Linus' belief that good behaviour and devoted faith (in something that isn't accepted by the mainstream population) will lead to positive rewards in our life.

Though only 25 minutes long, It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown packs so much fun and festive merriment into its modest sized time frame, that for some folks, it almost feels like a full length movie (this point is helped along all the more by the program's terrific musical score, which was preformed by the Vince Guaraldi Sextet).

{With little more than three weeks to go until Halloween arrives again, why not treat yourself to an early viewing of It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. Video source.}

There are certain elements without which a given holiday or special occasion just wouldn't feel the same and for me, and countless others, It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown is one of the things that makes Halloween, well, Halloween in my books.

It is sweet and iconic, gorgeously illustrated, easy to see yourself in at least one of the characters its stars, and a clear sign - when it appears on TV in mid to late October - that All Hallows Eve, a night of playful mischief and goodhearted fun, is just around the corner again.

{Snoopy’s appearance at one point in the night leads Linus to temporarily think that The Great Pumpkin has indeed risen out of the pumpkin patch. Alas, such didn’t happen, but that won’t stop Linus from waiting up the following year, hoping that such will finally happen. Vintage image source.}
I've truly enjoyed watching this classic Peanuts holiday special for the 32 of the 50 years that it has been around, and am certain, it will continue to be an integral part of my autumn time celebration for the rest of my life.

Especially since, as I'm sure many others do as well, I've always secretly hoped that Linus was right and that The Great Pumpkin was/is real.

Who knows...a little faith and a big imagination always make Halloween – much like watching It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown itself – all the more enjoyable!

Same here! I think that I've seen all of the other Peanuts holiday specials, but those two top it for me (I do quite enjoy the Thanksgiving one as well; the scene when they gather around the table always hits me right there :)).

That is a shame indeed - and a very good point. I saw a small number of ornaments in card stores, but that was about it in terms of merchandise that I spotted pertaining to that important anniversary.

That's so sweet, dear Jessica! I will watch the "Great Pumpkin" with Charlie Brown and friends after I write this comment to you! Thanks for that, I love Charlie Brown! And wow, 50 years already, showing that episode! Time really flies... OK, without any delay, I thank you again for that and now I want to be fast, cause I want to watch that so much! Hugs and regards, dear Jessica!DenisesPlanet.com

What a joyful way to celebrate the season with your friends. I'm really hoping to watch it with my mom when she comes over later this month to help me really pull out all the stops on our Halloween decor.

You're so very welcome. Thank you in turn for your heartwarmingly sweet comment, dear Denise.

You're so very welcome, sweet April. Same here! It's really beautiful how the messages and themes of the Peanuts apply as much to children as they do to adults. I'm sure that's a large part of this classic cartoon gang's timeless appeal and popularity.

This is wonderful! I haven't watched it since I was a kid, and I had no idea that it was so short. It packs so many lovely and memorable moments in such a short run time. Thank you for pointing out the anniversary, this is a great impetus to me to watch it again.

Very well said - it really does have the soul of a longer, even full length film. I think a good deal of that sense comes from the stunning artwork (especially throughout the evening scenes) and the beautiful score that accompanies this TV classic. The heartwarming story certainly hoes a long way, too.

Definitely! That's a great movie for Thanksgiving. Have you seen the Peanuts Thanksgiving cartoon as well? It's my third favourite of all their holiday season specials. Well worth catching, if you haven't watched it before.

I have never seen this show, believe it or not, but I watch the Charlie Brown Christmas every year. Your review is excellent, and now I want to hunt down this one to watch. It sounds like fun!The Artyologist

Oh no! Hopefully this fall time classic will hop across the pond soon. In the meantime, it's presently available to watch online here: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3bjpr7_it-is-the-great-pumpkin-charlie-brown-1966_tv (though one can only guess for how long; understandably due to copyright reasons, it's routinely pulled from video sharing sites like this and YouTube).

Oww, I'm going to watch this around Halloween, I don't think I've ever seen it before, although I have watched the Christmas one. I really love the comic books, I wonder if you have read them? They also make references to the Great Pumpkin each year. I have to say Jessica, your posts are making me feel very excited for Halloween this year. Xxx

It's been an age and a half (and then some! :)), but I did indeed read some Charlie Brown comics when I was little. It would be a blast to revisit them again and/or check out some of the more contemporary Peanuts offerings. Thank you for the lovely reminder about them, dear gal.

I'm thrilled to know that my festive posts are helping you to get all the more in the Halloween spirit. Yay!!! :)

I admit to having never seen this movie. Snoopy and his gang are not as big over here in the uk. However, I am a collector af vintage comic strips, not the comic hero kind, but the gentle humour that appeared in strips in newspapers and such like. I collect many British versions such as Giles, Thelwelll and my ultimate favourite; The Broons ( it's Scottish and is written in Scottish accent, so it's really the Browns ). Thanks to my dad, I also own a small collection of peanuts cartoons, and I love them. They are very sweet and have such a gentle humour that doesn't rely on nastiness. So very charming, I will make it a priority to see this film xx

What a charmingly wonderful thing to collect, dear Emily. It's lovely that you're familiar with the Peanuts characters even though they've yet to really hit it big in the UK and that your father passed on a small collection of cartoons starring this heartwarming animated gang to you. That is deeply heartwarming. I agree - I love the - as you so eloquently put it - gentle humour of the Peanuts and the important life lessons that their cartoon strips, comics and TV shows all drove home.

Wishing you a splendid October and a terrific time viewing ITGPCB,♥ Jessica

Thank you ever so much, dear Linda. This really is a poignant, beautiful time of the year. Autumn is out in full glory, there's still a speck of warmth to the sunlight, and we're able to reflect on our blessings at the same time.

I am very thankful for your lovely online friendship and support of my blog and hope that you have a marvelous, merry and very enjoyable Thanksgiving celebration.

Through and through! The season truly wouldn't be the same for me without it. I love ITGPCB to no end and am sure I'll watch it several more times before this month is over (including once with my mom, as that's a wonderful tradition for the two of us).

Oh, Ally, what a stellar costume choice! I can't wait to see your interpretation of this endlessly classic Peanut character. Thank you for sharing what you'll be sporting for Halloween this year with me/us.

My pleasure, lovely lady. I'm delighted that I could introduce you to this heartwarmingly sweet Halloween season classic. I hope that you're able to catch it this year (see my reply to CiCi's comment above for a link to where it's currently available to watch online).

Tons of hugs & cheerful October wishes coming right back at you,♥ Jessica

Totally agree I love this classic and watched it many times as a kid and later with my own children. In this and other Charlie Brown holiday shows, I love how Snoopy always seems to be pursuing his own agenda. He's on the sidelines observing the gang but rather indulgently-- he has his own ideas about the best way to mark the occasion!

"I got a rock!" ;) I love this cartoon. Peanuts was my all time favorite cartoon growing up. I will definitely have to put this one again soon! It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, the 1949 animated short film The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, and the 1980's horror film Halloween are all essential Halloween viewing year after year in my book :) <3

Fantastic Halloween season choices! I adore hearing about what others love watching at this time of the year, too. This, Hocus Pocus, both of the Addams Family movies, and Ghostbusters are some of the biggies for me. I really like the 1940s Legend of Sleepy Hollow cartoon that you mentioned, too.

They used to show Peanuts cartoons here quite regularly in the 1980's during school holidays, but I don't think I ever saw this one so can only assume it wasn't shown, as I always made a point of watching when they were on so should have seen it were televised.

Snoopy was huge here in the 1970's (along with the Love Is ... cartoons). My mother is a big fan of Snoopy and still has a glass jug adorned with him which utilised as a water jug, lives in the fridge. She referred to a gift and card shop just off of the main shopping precinct in the city she lives as The Snoopy Shop for years as it sold so much Snoopy paraphernalia. I think it was Garfield in the 80's which lessened the appeal of Peanuts.

We were still in the process of naming our rat girls when Charles Schultz died, so one was named Snoopy <3 I also have a toy Snoopy and Woodstock.

Anyway, I hope you're well, I am laid low at the moment with a horrid lurgy, but had to chip in with my Snoopy comments xxx

What a great comment, dear Melanie. Thank you for sharing more about The Peanut gang's place in the UK over the years and about some of your personal memories surrounding it. It's so sweet that you named one of your pet rats Snoopy. Aww! Had she been a boy, not a girl, I sometimes wonder if we would have opted to name our white + black dog Annie that - no matter the gender, I think it suits her independent, outgoing nature really well.

I'm really sorry to hear that you've been under the weather lately. You poor dear!

That is is, darling lady, and I for one am ecstatically happy about that fact! In exactly three weeks time, we'll be donning costumes, handing out candy to trick-o-treaters, celebrating with my folks, and delighting in the spooky fun that pervades the day. I can hardly wait!!! Do you have any exciting plans for Halloween this year yourself?

Ooohh, how exciting that you're going to get to watch it for the very first time. I hope that you love it to bits, my dear (see my reply to CiCi's comment above for a link to where you can *presently* few it in online for free), and would be delighted to hear your thoughts on ITGPCB anytime.

Charlie Brown and his gang have always been a part of my life. My mother collects Peanuts, so I grew up with all sorts of Peanuts memorabilia and every special for every holiday! My favorite is It's Arbor Day, Charlie Brown.

That's so cool! My folks enjoyed the Peanuts, too, but I don't recall them collecting anything pertaining to it. How lovely that it's a passion of your mom's. Great choice for your favourite holiday related Peanut's special. I just adore all the different seasonal occasions that they shone the spotlight on over the decades.

Oh man, I feel like I don't recall Charlie Brown episodes and movies the way I do Looney tunes or Disney movies. Weird, bc I know I watched them! Related/unrelated news...did you hear Fraggle Rock is being re-released?? XOLauren-Blairwww.gracerock-kellyroll.com

That's really interesting. I'd imagine that may stem from what your family watched more of growing up. We always got ITGPCB on at least one station up here in Canada, so that was part of the reason I saw it so often as a child. Disney Halloween specials and movies weren't uncommon either, but I don't have too many memories pertaining to Looney Tunes one. Thank you for the reminder about them. I'll have to dig around online to see what I can find.

I did here that! What are your thoughts on it? I was a huge Fraggle Rock fan as a child, so I'm leaning more towards being happy/excited. You?

I remember I saw this in the late sixties, and I didn't understand a word of it, since no one knew about Halloween and pumpkins in Denmark. I have to watch again, because now I know the meaning of trick and treating and everything else Halloween. I don't know if you still see the comments on your blog, so I certainly don't expect a reply. But I want you to know that you are in my thoughts daily, I miss you and hope you are feeling okay. I hope that you will soon receive my gift package and that it will cheer you a bit up. Lots of love form Denmark. XOXO

I'm Jessica, a lifelong lover of all things antique and vintage, especially those from the 1930s, 40s and 50s.

This blog is my visual scrapbook in which I record and share my thoughts on the multitude of sources, people and products that inspire and feed a modern gal's addiction to the past. I also post about the vintage clothes, hairstyles and make-up looks that I adore wearing.

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